Monday, January 19, 2009

I thought that I would post a recipe of an ale that I make regularly and like to have on tap at all times. What follows is the formulation and steps that I use in preparing a Dry Stout. This beer gets high marks when entered in brewing contests but more importantly is a beer that I really enjoy drinking. It is low enough in alcohol to quaff and the abundance of flavors make it very satisfying. It is black with ruby highlights if the light is strong enough to penetrate and it has a solid mouth feel. The head is tan and resolved. Bitter chocolate and espresso up front with a nice balance bitternes and some dry fruit flavors and mild earthyness from the First Gold hops.

HLT with sight tube and thermometer

My grain bill is:

15lbs 2-row @37 = 555

8 oz. cry#60 @34 = 17

14oz. chocolate @25 = 22

2 lbs. flaked barley @37 = 74

11oz. black patent @25 = 17

4 oz. carafa @25 = 6

8 oz. roasted barley @25 = 12

The grain sugar potential here is a total of 703 and I estimated (based on experience with my system) that I would get about an 80% efficiency from my mash which comes to 562. I then divide by my projected final boil volumn of 11.5 gallons which gives me an original gravity of 1.049.

I mashed the grain for 60 minutes in 6 gallons of 154f. degree water. My strike water temperature was 168f. and I added 2 tsp. of gypsum to the mash. I sparged for 45 minutes to a beginning boil volumn of 13.5 gallons.

I boiled the wort for 60 minutes with hop additions as follows:

1 oz. N.Z. pacific gem (16aa) for 60 minutes 30 ibu's

1 oz. U.K. first gold (7aa) for 15 minutes 6 ibu's

1 oz. U.K. first gold (7aa) for 8 minutes 4 ibu's

I cooled wort to 70f. and transfered to fermenter. I pitched 2 pkgs. of Safale US05 dry yeast.Fermented for 6 days at 65F.-70f. and racked to kegs, carbonated and stored for 2 weeks and then tapped.Normally I use Kent Goldings in this beer but had to substitute because of the recent hop shortage.

The actual numbers for this beer came out as follows:

Efficiency 84%

Attenuation 73% (interestingly low)

ABV. 5.25%

SRM Black

IBU's 40

O.G. 1.052

F.G. 1.014

Of course this is a basic overall process discription. If you have any comments or questions, click below and I will be glad to respond.